Sig Sauer’s new P229 Legion 9mm

When you hear the word Legion, you might think of a bunch of Roman guys wearing skirts who are intent about perforating people with long spears. Or you might think of rough looking dudes with strange white hats that look like the top section of a wedding cake. That would be the French Foreign Legion. For centuries, the word Legion has referred to very serious people undertaking very serious tasks. It’s with this warrior spirit in mind that the folks at Sig Sauer are releasing Legion.

I don’t refer to it as “the Legion” because Legion is envisioned to be a family of gear and programs targeted at serious people who want serious gear. Initially, the Legion product family will include handguns, knives, holsters, and tactical lights, along with a Legion community that brings together folks who care about hardcore guns and gear. Over time, the Legion family will be expanded to cover other handgun models, rifles, suppressors, and optics.

“We have worked with elite SIG users for years as we have developed the Legion,” said Jeff Creamer, Executive Director and General Merchandise Manager for SIG SAUER, Inc. “We wanted to know what custom features professionals were seeking as factory enhancements. The result is a line of high-performance firearms and accessories that deliver not only what elite users need, but what they want.”

Sig Sauer P229 Legion 9mm

The first guns in the Legion series are a Sig Sauer P229 and P226, both chambered in 9mm. We’ll talk about what’s next in more detail later in this article.

I was fortunate enough to get my grubby little hands on a Sig Sauer P229 Legion 9mm a while back and had to time to study and shoot to see what makes it different. In short, Legion Series guns offer a “custom” gun with modifications that a professional would make or desire, right out of the box. During a pre-launch conference call, one of the Sig team described the Legion series as gear that a Navy SEAL might carry when off duty. That’s the basic idea behind the concept, so let’s take a deeper look at the first Legion handgun from Sig.

What’s Different About the Legion P229 9mm?

The best way to think of the Sig P229 Legion is to envision what a serious shooter might have a custom gunsmith do to their new P229 to make it the ideal carry gun. Let’s take a look at some of the differences. Before we get into details, keep in mind that the overall frame and slide size are the same as standard P229, so holsters will be compatible with the new Legion model.

Starting with the frame, you’ll see a number of enhancements. The Legion model features a more aggressive beavertail than the standard P229 model. It’s not as large as that of Sig’s Enhanced Elite model, as this gun is intended for concealed carry. The front of the grip features checkering rather than the horizontal line texture on the standard P229. Above that, there is a more aggressive undercut like that on Sig’s X5 models. This allows the middle finger of the firing hand to ride higher on the grip. Your middle finger actually ends up into the trigger guard area due to the recessed cut. The last difference is a new checkering pattern on the bottom of the trigger guard. This is done to help keep your support hand from moving during rapid fire. The index finger of your support hand will contact this checkered area when you assume a two-handed grip. It really makes a difference as it helps eliminate the need for support hand repositioning.

Front cocking serrations have been added to the Legion models. The rail is unchanged.

Read the rest at GunsAmerica.